Chapter 142. Competition (2)
The restaurant was crowded and noisy.
It was obvious at a glance that this was a popular local spot.
Guo Yunzhao ordered mala crayfish along with several other dishes, and Kang Yujin began eating with Liu Xianfei.
“Seafood dishes are harder to come by than they used to be, but this is freshwater crayfish. Eat as much as you want.”
Mala crayfish was a dish of freshwater crayfish stir-fried in a spicy sauce.
It was Kang Yujin’s first time trying it.
At first, he was startled by how numbing and intensely spicy it was.
But the more he ate, the more strangely addictive it became.
Before he knew it, he was cracking open crayfish at a ridiculous pace.
The other dishes had mostly been chosen for their mild flavors to balance out the spice, and those were delicious too.
“Hahaha! It’s satisfying to watch someone eat so well!”
Guo Yunzhao burst out laughing as he watched Kang Yujin eat.
“Meanwhile, Miss Liu Xianfei over here is barely touching her food.”
“How could I possibly have an appetite?”
Liu Xianfei muttered with a stiff expression.
Guo Yunzhao laughed at her reaction.
“Hey, Kang Yujin.”
“What?”
“You really have no intention of joining the Black Dragon Society?”
At his words, Liu Xianfei flinched.
“Miss Liu Xianfei here seems desperate to bring you into the Black Dragon Society. That’s why she chased you all the way here.”
“Is that so?”
“Ah... yes.”
The moment their eyes met, Liu Xianfei’s face stiffened.
“Lord Kang Yujin, whatever conditions you desire, we’ll do our best to...”
“I already told your father I’m not interested.”
Kang Yujin drank a glass of water.
He washed away the lingering burn in his mouth and continued.
“Stop pushing it and just eat.”
“But...!”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
When Kang Yujin glared at her, Liu Xianfei immediately shut her mouth with a frightened expression.
He hadn’t meant to scare her, so he felt slightly guilty.
“S-Sorry. Excuse me for a moment...”
Perhaps heading to the restroom, Liu Xianfei stood up.
Kang Yujin glanced at her wobbling legs as she walked away, then spoke again.
“Guo Yunzhao.”
“What?”
“Does the Black Dragon Society always cling this hard when trying to recruit someone?”
“Hahaha. Of course not.”
Guo Yunzhao laughed.
“They’re only acting like this because it’s you.”
“Really?”
“Miss Liu Xianfei normally never lowers herself like that in front of anyone. She’s the Vice Chairman’s daughter, and inside the Black Dragon Society, she’s famous for being extremely proud.”
That certainly matched the attitude she had shown when they first met.
“The Vice Chairman probably took quite a blow to his pride too.”
Guo Yunzhao shrugged.
“And yet he still sent his own daughter after you and went this far. That means he genuinely wants you.”
"..."
Kang Yujin didn’t answer.
He simply drank another glass of water.
He understood the Black Dragon Society’s enthusiasm.
But even seeing them cling to him like this didn’t make him want to join.
If anything, he preferred Ma Taesu’s old approach.
A clean give-and-take relationship was far easier to deal with.
Come to think of it, I should probably apologize to Ma Taesu.
Whatever else happened, Kang Yujin felt he should at least meet Ma Taesu and talk things through.
While he was thinking about that, a man from a nearby table approached.
“May I have a moment?”
He was neatly dressed.
His hair was carefully styled, giving him a polished impression.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Kang Yujin.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m this sort of person.”
The man handed Kang Yujin a business card.
But Kang Yujin couldn’t read what was written on it.
The translation item only translated spoken language, not text.
“You bastard!”
Guo Yunzhao looked at the card and immediately changed expression.
“What’s a White Forest Alliance lackey doing here?!”
The White Forest Alliance.
Kang Yujin had heard the name from Ma Taesu.
It was an organization with roughly the same influence as the Black Dragon Society in Shanghai...
and the leading organization of the Orthodox Faction that opposed the Black Dragon Society.
“The White Forest Alliance?”
“That’s right, Kang Yujin. This bastard is Zhang Siyuan, a pretty famous guy from the White Forest Alliance!”
“I’m honored that you know my name, Lord Guo Yunzhao.”
The man named Zhang Siyuan smiled at Guo Yunzhao.
“My apologies, but I have something I would like to discuss with Lord Kang Yujin.”
“Who says you can?! Get lost!”
Guo Yunzhao stood up, openly hostile.
He looked ready to punch Zhang Siyuan at any moment.
“Guo Yunzhao.”
“Wait.”
“Hey! You still don’t understand. Those Orthodox bastards and us...”
“Are you planning to cause trouble for the restaurant owner?”
Guo Yunzhao bit his lip at Kang Yujin’s words.
Apparently, he remembered getting scolded by Zhang Qinghe after causing a scene in the submarine dining hall.
“He says he has something to say. Let him.”
“But...”
“Let’s hear him out first.”
Kang Yujin turned toward Zhang Siyuan.
“What do you want?”
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity, Lord Kang Yujin.”
Zhang Siyuan pulled over a chair and sat down.
“Lord Kang Yujin, I have actually been interested in you for quite some time.”
“In me?”
“You accomplished truly extraordinary things in Korea. I always thought I would like to meet you someday.”
Zhang Siyuan smiled.
“When I heard what happened at the harbor today, I knew immediately.”
“Kang Yujin has finally arrived in China.”
“You knew it was me?”
“The Nautilus arrived today. Someone traveling with Ma Taesu erased an enormous island.”
Zhang Siyuan leaned forward.
“That information alone was enough.”
Then he spoke directly.
“Lord Kang Yujin, I’ll get straight to the point.”
“The White Forest Alliance would like to support your activities in China.”
“Support me?”
“You didn’t come to China as a tourist, did you?”
“No.”
“Then you must have come here because you want something.”
Zhang Siyuan continued.
“In that case, please give us a chance.”
“We will use the White Forest Alliance’s entire organization to support you as much as possible.”
“You’re not asking me to join the White Forest Alliance?”
“I overheard enough just now to know better than to say something like that recklessly.”
Zhang Siyuan smiled.
“Though I’ll admit we do intend to earn points with you.”
“So if I end up liking the White Forest Alliance, you’d be happy if I joined?”
“Even if you don’t, wouldn’t it be beneficial for us to maintain a friendly relationship?”
“We can simply help each other whenever necessary.”
Kang Yujin liked that offer far more than Liu Zhenping’s.
Liu Zhenping kept pressuring him to join the Black Dragon Society.
Zhang Siyuan, on the other hand, was saying that Kang Yujin didn’t have to join the White Forest Alliance at all.
They could simply build a good relationship.
Naturally, Kang Yujin preferred Zhang Siyuan’s proposal.
I can’t really operate in China by myself anyway...
He hadn’t come here for sightseeing.
He needed cooperation from local organizations.
Originally, he had planned to rely on the Black Dragon Society through Ma Taesu.
But with Liu Zhenping acting like that, receiving help from the Black Dragon Society now felt awkward.
From that perspective, accepting Zhang Siyuan’s offer and working with the White Forest Alliance seemed better.
But going straight over to the White Forest Alliance would be way too disloyal.
He had repeatedly heard that the Black Dragon Society and White Forest Alliance were enemies in China.
If he immediately switched over to the White Forest Alliance, he would feel bad toward Ma Taesu.
